Automatic machine for assembling the slider components of zipper fasteners



Feb. 15, 1966 JAKOB AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING THE SLIDER COMPONENTS OF ZIPPER FASTENERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 8, 1964 INVENTOR 190,957 AM 05 BY M? ATTORNEYS Feb. 15, 1966 H. JAKOB AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING THE SLIDER COMPONENTS OF ZIPPER FASTENERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1964 IN VEN TOR. 6 0?? f MIX 05 ATTORNEY5 OB SSEM PPER 3,234,635 BLING T SLIDER FASTEN 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 15, 1966 H. JAK

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR A COMPONENTS OF ZI Filed Oct. 8, 1964 ATTORN EY5 United States Patent Ofitice 3,234,535 Patented Feb. 15, 1966 3,234,635 AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING THE SLIDER COMPONENTS OF ZIPPER FASTENERS Horst Jakob, Choisy-le-Roi, France, assignor to Societe Francaise de Fermetures de Luxe, Choisy-le-Roi, France, a corporation of France Filed Oct. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 402,526 Claims priority, application France, Jan. 14, 1964, 960,184 4 Claims. (Cl. 29-208) This invention relates to the art of zipper fasteners and more particularly to a machine for automatically assembling the slider thereof.

As conducive to an understanding of the invention it is noted that there are three main types of sliders, the

selection of which is dependent upon the type of article on which the slide fastener or zipper is to be fitted. The types are as follows:

(a) The so-called sliding slider, i.e. a slider adapted to move freely along the chains of fastening elements which form the zipper if the separated portions of the two chains are pulled laterally apart. This type of slider has no lock incorporated thereon and is generally used on handbags, bags, suitcases and the like.

(b) The so-called manual locking slider which remains at a selected position along the chains of fastening elements in spite of a traction of the type above set forth provided that the user folds the pivoted lug of the slider against the upper face of the latter so that it is parallel thereto. This causes a locking projection on said lug which extends at right angles to its front face, to enter a space between the engaging teeth of the fastening elements of the chains to lock the slider against movement.

(c) The so-called self-locking slider which has a locking projection that is spring urged between the engaging teeth of the fastening elements of the chain. When the pivoted lug is lifted and pulled for movement of the slider to open the zipper, this will automatically release the locking projection and when the lug is released, the spring will automatically move the projection to locked position.

The machine, according to the invention, is designed particularly for assembling the component elements of self-locking sliders and is also suitable for assembling the component elements of sliders of the other types.

Where the self-locking slider is of the type having four component elements, namely: the slider body proper, in which channels are formed for guiding the chains of fastening elements; the pull or gripping lug, a rocking member pivoted on the top face of the slider body and having a locking projection at its front end and a compression coil spring at its rear end, constantly urging said projection between two engaging teeth of the chain of fastening elements, even when such slider is assembled manually, it requires a strict and constant precision in the shape and dimensions of the component elements, notably the rocking member pivoted on the upper face of the slider body. Moreover, the fact that the coil spring is very tiny makes this part difficult to handle and these diificulties are increased considerably when it is contemplated to assemble these component elements automatically.

In order to facilitate automatic assembly, the self locking slider which is assembled by the machine herein described comprises only three component elements, i.e., a slider body, a lug and a locking member comprising a spring formed from a short length of steel wire having one end bent and the opposite end set in a boss formed on the top face of the slider body. The bent end of said spring which defines the locking detent is normally urged between two engaging teeth of the chains of fastening elements and is released from this position by pulling the lug to move the slider along the chains of fastening elements.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an automatic assembling machine which is relatively simple in construction and dependable in operation and which will automatically feed preformed slider bodies and lugs to a single operating station and connect such elements while at the same time forming and incorporating a spring locking member into the slider assembly thereby dispensing with the need for preforming and handling such locking members.

According to the invention, the assembly machine comprises a single working station on each side of which is disposed a feed line for the slider bodies and pull lug respectively. A movable, lever-actuated spindle is provided to receive a slider body and a movable slotted member is provided to receive a lug, a pair of push members transferring a slider body and a lug from said two feed lines respectively and placing said slider body and said lug on said spindle and said slotted member respectively. A lever adapted to move said slotted member presses the lug carried thereby against said slider body and a lever actuated punch bends opposed bosses on said slider body toward each other for retaining the lug in pivoting position. The levers controlling said movable spindle, said slotted member and said punch are actuated by cams carried by a main cam shaft, and the push members for transferring said slider bodies and said lugs from their respective feed lines are actuated by drive means operating in proper timed relationship, said drive means comprising for example electromagnets, the energizing circuits of which are controlled by cams carried by a second ary cam shaft connected to the main shaft.

As already set forth hereinabove, the machine, according to this invention, is designed more particularly for the steel wire for making the spring, rollers for feeding this steel wire, shearing and bending members, and members for properly positioning each cut wire section into the associated groove of the slider body. These various movable components are actuated by driving means responsive in turn to the main cam shaft in order to provide the proper timing between the various operations.

In order to afford a clearer understanding of this invention and of the manner in which the same is to be carried out in practice, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical form of embodiment of an automatic assembly machine constructed according to the teachings of this invention,

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation view of the machine;

FIG. 2 is a plane view from above showing on a larger scale the working table of the machine with part of the instrumentalities thereon;

FIG. 3 illustrates the first step of the slider component element assembly process;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view showing the essential component elements of the machine during an assembly process, the section being taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

slider correspo'nding'to a different type of zip-fastener slide of which the component elements are also adapted to be assembled by means of the machine of this invention.

Referring now to the drawings, as shown in FIG. 1, the machine illustratively comprises a frame consisting of four leg-forming vertical angle members 1, carrying a table 2 at their upper ends and a platform 3 adjacent the lower ends of said legs for supporting a motor and variable-speed gear unit 4 which through a coupling 7 and a reduction gear 6 drives a pulley 5.

A pair of V-belts 8 drivingly connect the pulley to another pulley 23 mounted on a main shaft 9 supported by three bearings 10. To permit low-speed adjustments, a driving handwheel 13 through a reducing drive consisting of a pinion 12 and a gear wheel 11 drives one end of said shaft 9, the handwheel 13 and pinion 12. being keyed on a common shaft 14.

During normal operating conditions the driven pulley 23 drives the main shaft 9 through a conventional electromagnetic clutch 24.

At either end of table 2, two conventional vibrating feeders 15, 16 are provided, of the type known as Syntron feeders for example, which are designed to feed the parts contained therein toward the inlets 17, 18 of feed chutes 19, 20 respectively, in which the parts fall by gravity along guide channels 21, 22.

The vibrating feeder 15 on the left side of the machine, as shown in FIG. 1, delivers the slider bodies 93 (FIG. 3) and the other vibrating feeder 16 delivers the pull lugs 94 (FIG. 6) to a point (FIG. 2) located substantially centrally of the table 2. It is at this point 25 that the component elements of the sliders S are assembled.

Positioned adjacent the feeder 15 is a bracket 26 which supports a spool 28 that carries a coil of steel wire 27 for making the slider springs 96. This steel wire is fed intermittently to said assembly point 25 through guide means 29 by means of a pair of feed rollers 30, 31 housed in a block 32. The intermittent movements of rotation of roller being effected through a lever 38 carrying a pawl 39.

In addition, the table 2 carries three blocks 40, 41, and 42. In block 40 are slidably mounted a pair of rods 43, 44 reciprocated by means of levers 45, 46 producing an axial thrust adjustable by means of intermediate screws 47, 48. t

The second block 41 carries a sliding rod 49 responsive to a driving lever 50, an adjustment screw 51 being also provided therebetween. Finally, the third block 42 permits the sliding movements of a spindle 52 adapted to be reciprocated by a lever 53, one end of which bears against a pair of rollers 54, 55.

The various levers mentioned above are driven from the main shaft 9 on which six cams 56, 57, 58, 59, 60 and 61 are keyed and adapted to transmit their movement directly to the levers 45, 46 and 59 respectively through rollers 62, 63 and 64, the other levers 36, 38 and 53 being actuated respectively from their driving cams 61,

r 60 and 59 through rollers 67, 66, 65 and pins 70, 69, 68

mounted in bearings on block 71.

FIG. 2 illustrates diagrammatically in a top plane view the parts mounted on the table 2. To simplify the drawing in FIG. 1, the secondary devices such as the two electromagnets 72, 73 (FIG. 2) actuating the two levers 74, 75, each pivoted on a central pivot 76 have been omitted. The other end of these levers carrypush members or pawls 77, 78 slidably engaged in the guide channels 21, 22 of the feed chutes 19, 20, the pawls being constantly urged by return springs 79.

Referring to FIG. 2, the steel-wire feed roller 30 is rigid with a pinion 80 and is mounted on one end of a shaft 81, the other end of which carries a ratchet wheel 4 82 actuated by the pawl 39 and lever 38. A cutter 83 is mounted on the end of sliding rod 43. A setting punch 84 is mounted on the end of a lever 85 reciprocated by the other sliding rod 44. A slidable lug carrier 86 bearing against a compression coil spring 87 is urged in turn by said sliding rod 44.

As shown in FIG. 2, the push-rod 37 moves the spring positioning finger 91 through a roller 89. Finally, a bell cranklever actuates the counter-cutter 88 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 to transform the motion imparted to lever 90 by the lever 36 through an adjustment screw 92.

When the feed chutes 19 and 20 are filled with slider bodies 93 and pull lugs 94 respectively, the pawl 77 (FIG. 2) as a result of an impulse applied to electromagnet 72 will move a slider body 93 onto the spindle 52 which has been moved to the assembly point 25 by the lever 53. Thereupon the other pawl 78 actuated by the electromagnet 73 will move a pull lug 94 into the slot 95 of carrier member 86 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

The synchronism between the two magnets is obtained by means of a secondary cam shaft (not shown) acting upon microswitches controlling the energizing circuits of the electromagnets, this camshaft being connected through a driving chain to the main cam shaft 9 of the machine.

The lever 46 and spring 87 urge the carrier member 86 forward until the lug 94 carried thereby engages the face 97 of slider body 93, the boss 98 thereof engaging the aperture 99 of said lug 94 (FIG. 4).

Simultaneously with this movement the spring wire 27 is fed to the required extent and obliquely in relation to the slider, as shown in FIG. 5, the preceding cycle having already bent the end 96a of the wire 27. When the wire spring has been fed sufiiciently the counter-cutter 88 is lowered by the movement of bell crank lever 90 so that its edge 100 registers with the edge 101 of cutter 83 (FIG. 4). At this moment the cutter 83 is fed forward by the lever 45 and its edge 101 cuts the wire 27 at 102 and the spring 96 is engaged by the positioning finger 91 (by a downward movement controlled by the push-rod 37 and lever 50) into the groove 103 of slider 93, so that the end 9611 engages the orifice 108 formed through the face 97 of the slider body.

Prior to its positioning, the spring was pushed by the cutter continuing its forward movement, beneath the end 104 of positioning finger 91, due to the provision of a guide groove (not shown).

As the cutter 83 continues its forward stroke the counter-cutter 88 rises slightly so that its edge 105 (FIG. 4) will eventually register with the edge 106 of said cutter 83. As the cutter continues its movement, the edge 106 engages the wire 27 and bends over the edge 105 of another end 96a preliminary to the next cycle.

Thereupon, the cutter 83 recedes and the setting punch 84 is moved forwards by the pressure of lever 46 acting upon the push-rod 85. The setting punch 84 comprises at its front portion a concave contour 84a adapted to bend toward each other the bosses or projections 98, 107 formed on the face 97 of the slider body 93, the bending of boss 107 retaining the spring 96 in its groove 103. The bosses and the contour of the setting punch are so conformed that upon completion of thesetting step the face 97 of the slider body appears as bearing a single, bridge-like boss or projection enclosing the lug 94 and spring 96. In use, the bent end 96a of the spring 96 is urged outwardly by the lug when the latter is pulled to permit movement of the slider along the chain of elements constituting the zipper.

, After setting the bosses, the setting punch 84 as well as the spindle 52 recede to release the assembled slider which falls by gravity through an aperture formed in the table 2. The operation is then repeated for a new slider assembly operation as described hereinabove.

' The assembly machine according to the invention should not be construed as being limited by the specific embodiment described hereinabove by way of example.

Thus, the machine may be used for assembling the component elements of various types of sliders for zipper fasteners consisting of metal elements as well as plastic or synthetic elements. The machine may also be adapted for assembling automatic or self-locking sliders of the type incorporating a lock spring, or sliders providing the single locking feature and incorporating a lug of the type illustrated in FIG. 6 and provided with a lock heel or point 109 engaging the aperture 108 when the lug is moved by the users hand. This machine is also adapted to assemble free or sliding sliders consisting simply of a slider body 93 and a lug 94 without any locking point.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely difiFerent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic machine for assembling the component elements of zipper sliders of the type comprising a pull lug and a slider body formed with two bosses curved toward each other for retaining the pull lug therebetween, said machine comprising a single working station having a pair of chutes disposed on each side of the working station respectively for feeding the slider bodies and the lugs to said working station, a movable spindle adapted to receive a slider body thereon, a movable carrier member having a slot adapted to receive a lug therein, a pair of push members for transferring a slider body and a lug separately from the respective chutes onto said spindle and said movable carrier member respectively, means to move said carrier member for pressing the lug carried thereby against said slider body, a setting punch and means to move said setting punch against said bosses to bend the latter toward each other for trapping and pivotally mounting said lug therebetween.

2. An automatic machine as recited in claim 1 for assembling the component elements of a self-locking zipper slider of the type having a groove formed in one of the bosses of the slider body and an aperture adjacent the other boss extending into the slider body and a wire spring having a body portion positioned in said groove, said spring having a bent portion at one end positioned in said aperture, said automatic machine comprising a movable positioning finger adapted to move the body portion of said wire spring into the groove formed in the associated boss of said slider body with the end of said bent portion of said wire spring aligned with the aperture formed in the slider body.

3. An automatic machine as recited in claim 2 in which a length of spring Wire is provided from which said wire spring is formed, means to sever said wire to form said wire spring, said means comprising a cutter and a countercutter positioned adjacent said working station and means actuating said cutters in timed relation with the movement of said spindle and carrier member to cut a section of desired length from said wire upon completion of a sufficient feed movement thereof.

4. An automatic machine as recited in claim 3 in which the cutter and counter-cutter comprise, in addition to their cutting edges, another pair of edges adapted to bend the length of wire end subsequent to the cutting of the desired wire to form said wire spring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1958 Legat et a1. 29-211 6/1964 Mazura 29208 

1. AN AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING THE COMPONENT ELEMENTS OF ZIPPER SLIDES OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A PULL LUG AND A SLIDER BODY FORMED WITH TWO BOSSES CURVED TOWARD EACH OTHER FOR RETAINING THE PULL LUG THEREBETWEEN SAID MACHINE COMPRISING A SINGLE WORKING STATION HAVING A PAIR OF CHUTES DISPOSED ON EACH SIDE OF THE WORKING STATION RESPECTIVELY FOR FEEDING THE SLIDER BODIES AND THE LUGS TO SAID WORKING STATION, A MOVABLE SPINDLE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A SLIDER BODY THEREON, A MOVABLE CARRIER MEMBER HAVING A SLOT ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A LUG THEREIN, A PAIR OF PUSH MEMBERS FOR TRANSFERRING A SLIDER BODY AND A LUG SEPARATELY FROM THE RESPECTIVE CHUTES ONTO SAID SPINDLE AND SAID MOVABLE CARRIED MEMBER RESPECTIVELY, MEANS TO MOVE SAID CARRIER MEMBER FOR PRESSING THE LUG CARRIED 